


Subconscious

by tosagen



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Kidnapping, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 06:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8785915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tosagen/pseuds/tosagen
Summary: Josh goes missing for a year and seventeen days.





	

Josh goes missing for a year and seventeen days.

The doorbell of his parents’ house rings and he’s just standing there, smiling. There’s tears and screaming and hugs and more tears and Josh smiles and lets his own tears soak the collar of his father’s shirt.

He doesn’t talk. It’s okay though, because that’s the only thing that’s even remotely wrong with him. He’s in perfect physical health, his roots are freshly touched up in bubblegum pink – fuck, even his tunnels have been sized up. He’s broader and stronger than when he was last seen, muscles stretching all his old shirts out of shape.

Tyler comes to see him the day after he turns up. Mrs Dun grins at him, eyes watery still, and says that Josh is up in his old room. Tyler hugs her, quick and hard before he’s bounding up the stairs, three at a time. He throws the door to Josh’s room open, not even thinking to knock, and there he is. Cross-legged on the floor, controller in his hands like he never left. 

Tyler stumbles across the room like he’s drunk and Josh meets him halfway, dropping the controller and surging to his feet to crash their bodies together, hugging him so hard Tyler wheezes. He hugs Josh back just as hard.

“Missed you,” Tyler mumbles into Josh’s shoulder. “Missed you, missed you.”

Josh doesn’t reply, just rubs his nose back and forth over the grain of Tyler’s t-shirt.

Tyler waits, says, “Josh.” 

A drum of fingertips on his spine indicates that Josh heard him, but still he makes no attempt to speak. Tyler pulls back. Josh lets him go, frowning a little.

“Why won’t you talk to me?” Tyler asks. He feels selfish, unbelievably childish, but he hasn’t heard his best friend’s voice in over a year. Josh lifts his hands and signs at him.

Tyler stares.

Josh signs something else. Tyler stares. Josh huffs out a sigh through his nose.

“Can’t you talk?” Tyler asks stupidly. Josh responds by tilting his head back as far as it will go, putting the soft skin of his throat on full display, and then Tyler sees it. The thin white line sitting just above the dip of Josh’s collarbones, so fine and faded that Tyler wouldn’t have seen it if Josh hadn’t wanted him to.

“I don’t,” he starts, desperately confused, and then suddenly he gets it.

Gets that Josh hasn’t heard his own voice in over a year.

It just slips out, the trembling, “Oh, baby,” and Josh’s head snaps back up as his body folds towards the floor, knees together and feet tucked neatly under him, hands behind his back and mouth open expectantly.

It takes Tyler a moment to catch up, then he’s stumbling backwards, tripping over his feet and his words and running out of the Dun house. He sprints to his car and throws himself inside, bracing his hands against the steering wheel. When he looks up Josh is standing in the doorway, one hand on the doorframe and the other over the scar on his throat where his vocal chords were clipped. He’s staring at Tyler with horror on his face.

Tyler throws the car into gear and peels away from the sideway, cursing himself, _stupid, stupid, stupid_.

He should have known Josh would recognise his voice.

**Author's Note:**

> I have to indulge myself sometimes even when it doesn't make sense okay


End file.
